Sunday, February 15, 2009

Berries with Cold Almond Cream

Berries with Cold Almond Cream (cold almond cream from Take a Thousand Eggs, vol. 1 p. 227

take almonds, and blanch them, and wash them in fair water, and bray them small in a mortar with fair water. And then take them and the water togther somewhat thick, and draw them through a strainer into a fair pot, And set them over the fire, and let them boil once, and take them down, and cast thereto salt and let stand a furlong-way or two. And cast a little vinegar thereto, then cast it on a fair linen cloth that is fair washed, and the water wrung out thereof; and cast it all about with the ladle, and let men hold the cloth all about; and then take a ladle, and draw under the cloth, and draw away the water all that a man may. And then gather all the cream together in the cloth; and then take the cloth with the cream, and hang it upon a pin, and let the water drop out two or three hours more. And then take it off the cloth, and put it in a bowl of wood, and cast sugar enough thereto and a little salt. And if it wax too thick, take sweet wine and mix it withal; then take raisins of corinth, clean and washed, and put them therein that they are not seen, and when it is dressed in the manner of a mortrews, take red anise in comfit or else leaves of borage, and set thereon in a dish.
No. Quantity Qantity Item Per 50
Per 100



1
carton strawberries 5 cartons 12 cartons


Method









Wash and hull the strawberries; refrigerate. The almond 'cream' has already been made from the pink dish from the first remove. Strain it; squeeze in a cloth, let it hang for several hours. Either mold the almonds around the currants, or poke some currants in the molds. The variation is instead of a sweet wine, I've got excess rose cordial or lavendar cordial - which will be ladelled around the almond cream. The berries either will be plated with the cream, if possible or served in small bowls separately .

Cold Sage Sauce - Taillevent

A Cold Sage Sauce Friod Sauge- no. 73




Cook your poultry in water, then set it to cool. Grind ginger, cassia buds grains of paradise and cloves, and do not strain them; then grind bread**** (note; for high table, use rice flour!) , parsley and sage, with a little saffron if you wish in this greenery to make it a bright green, and sieve this, and some people add strained, hard cooked egg yolks steeped in vinegar; do not boil. Brak apart yoru poultry into halves, quarters or members, set it out on plates with the sauce oer and hard cooked egg whites on top. If you use hard eggs, cut them up with a knife rather than by breaking them by hand.
No. Quantity Qantity Item Per 50
Per 100



1
big chicken 5.0 chickens 12 chickens


0.5
tsp ginger

5 tsp


0.5

cinnamon

5 tsp


0.5

grains - pepper & cardamom

5 tsp


0.5

cloves

5 tsp


0.25
cup parsley

2.5 cups


0.25
cup sage

2.5 cups


1
pinch saffron

5 pinches


0.5
cup bread crumbs approx.
5 cups


4
TBS rice flour approx.
4 TBS - approx


2
TBS verjuice

0.5 bottle verjuice


Method









This is a an adaption for a large feast. We are roasting the chicken, and serving the cold sage sauce as an accompaniment. For the roast chicken, sprinkle with salt, pepper and a splash of lemon juice. Roast in a moderage oven (200 degrees C) for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, until the juices run clear. For the sauce, grind the spices and greens in the mortar, add the bread crumbs (or rice flour) until thick; moisten with verjuice as appropriate. Should be tangy.

A pink dish for Meat Days - Taillevent

Ung Roze a chair: A Pink dish for Meat Days - no.191


Grind unskinned almonds well, then take beef broth, wine and verjuice and steep your almonds in it and strain them; then take your meat - that is, breast of veal, or whole or quartered chicken cooked with a knucke of beef, or with some other good cut of beef - fry this meat in bacon grease until it is a russet colour, then take a very small amount of fine cinnamon, white mecca ginger, and lesser spices such as grains of paradise, cloves and long pepper. For colour you should have orchil and alkanet - alkanet is as suitable as orchil, if you can get it, becuase its colour is not so pronounced as is that of orchil; it should be soaked in a little water, which is hot and not just wrm, for three or foru hours; then put it into the pottage after it has boiled, and stir it thoroughly until it has the proper colour for a Pink Dish.
No. Quantity Item Per 50
Per 100


0.5 cup ground almonds 2.5 cups 5 cups

1 cup boiling water 5 cups 10 cups


splash wine & verjuice





800 grams beef 4 kilos 8 kilos

0.5 tsp cinnamon 2.5 tsp 5 tsp

0.25 tsp ginger (galingale) 1.25 tsp 2.5 tsp

0.25 tsp ground cloves 1.25 tsp 2.5 tsp

1 pod cardamom, ground 5 pods 10 pods

1 pinch Salt





1 tsp pepper 5 tsp 10 tsp

Method







Make the almond milk - boil the water, and pour over the ground almonds. Leave it sit until it is cool enough to handle, strain. RESERVE the almonds - it is used for the cold almond cream! Add a splash of wine & verjuice to the almond milk. Set this on the stove to simmer gently. I didn't colour it in the test recipe - but a drop of food dye would be nice (see the notes on orchil p. 244). Add the spices - the flavour should be predominatly pepper-ish - effectively this is a medieval poivrade. Correct as necessary and add salt. Leave to warm while frying the beef. The beef should be done at the last minute. Heat skillet and fry the beef in lard until browned (don't over cook). I am choosing to serve the sauce separately to the beef.

Pastez Nourroys (Norse Pies) Taillevent

Pastez nourroys: Norse Pies no 208






Makes approximately 48 very small tartlets; allow 24 tartlets per table of 10
Take finely chopped, well cooked meat, pine nut paste, currants, finely crumbled rich cheese, and a very little salt.
No. Quantity Item Per 50
Per 100



300 grams beef mince 0.75 750 grams 1.65 kilos


500 grams mushrooms vego option

1 kilos also, can make some with the leftover spinach from the liquid of the pies in 2nd remove
60 grams pine nuts 180 grams 330 grams # get extra for vego option

100 grams neufchatel cheese 300 grams 550 grams *plus topping - 2-300 grams
0.5 cup currants 1.5 cups 2.75 cups


1 tsp sugar

0.4 cup


0.5 tsp salt *omitted from trial recipe








shortcrust pastry -for 2 pies








flour








crisco








salt








water






Method








Make up pastry; put in tart shells. No need to blind bake. Brown the mince in the bacon fat (cooking lard), until well cooked. While the beef is cooking, crush the pine nuts in a mortar; the pine nuts are very oily and it will make a 'paste' just by crushing. When the beef is done cooking, transfer it to a mixing bowl, add the pine nuts, currants. Chop the cheese into chunks or break it up and add it to the beef. Get your hands in there and squish it to mix it thoroughly. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar through it - the dish should not be really sweet, but have a nice balance. Check the filling, but omit the salt as the cheese is salty enough.

Green Garlic Sauce - Taillevent

Green Garlic Sauce No 158






Grind garlic, bread and greenery, and steep this together in verjuice

*enough for 2 tables Per 50
Per 100



2 heads garlic 5
10



0.5 cup parsley 0.5
2.5



2 TBS verjuice 3.75
7.5



Method








Peel the garlic cloves; put in a stainless pan, cover with water, and simmer until softened. Blanch the parsley, drain, then finely chop the parsley. Add the parsley to the garlic cloves, and pound with a mortar, or blend in blender, or hit with potato masher until it is nice and smooth. IF it needs thickening, then for Her Majesty, do NOT add bread, rather, use a bit of rice flour to thicken.

Hericoc de Mouton

Hericoc de mouton - no. 4 Taillevent







Original Recipe: Sautee your raw mutton in bacon grease and cut it up into pieces together with finely minced onions in a covered pot, stirring often; moisten with beef broth and wine, add verjuice, mace, parsley, hyssop and sage and optionally saffron; boil all together. The neck, shoulder, and breast of mutton is good for this dish.



Per table (10 to a table






No. Quantity Item Per 50
Per 100



500 grams Lamb, diced 2.5 kilos 5 kilos


2 small/med onions 10.0 onions 20 onions


10 grams lard






1.5 cups beef broth* (stock cubes = liquid) 3.8 cups 7.5 cups


0.5 cups red wine* 1.3 cups 2.5 cups


4 TBS verjuice* 10.0 TBS 20 TBS




*makes enough for 2 tables






0.25 tsp mace (1/4 tsp) 1.3 tsp 2.5 tsp


4 TBS parsley 20.0 TBS 40 TBS about a cup and a half
0.5 tsp hyssop 2.5 tsp 5 tsp


4 TBS sage 20.0 TBS 40 TBS












Method








Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. If using stock cubes, use 1.5 cubes per 1.5 cups water. Heat water and add cubes. Add red wine and verjuice, mix thoroughly. Heat skillet; add bacon grease - enough to coat the pan. Sear the lamb (Use pre-diced) in the bacon fat. Remove and put in casserole dish. Sautee the onions in bacon fat until they are lightly translucent; transfer them to the casserole dish. Add in the broth, to cover the meat. Add in the spices. Mix well, cover, and bake for about 3-4 hours. Check and adjust seasoning - add a pinch of salt if needed. Serve hot.

Pie of Herbs, cheese and eggs

Pie of Herbs, cheese and eggs no 175 from Viandier of Taillevent (Terence Scully)

Original Recipe:





Take parsley, mint, chard, spinach, lettuce, marjoram, basil and wild thyme, and grind everythign together in a mortar, moisten with pure water and squeeze outgt he juice, break a large number of eggs into the joice and add posdered giner, cinnamon and long papper, a good quality cheese, grated, and salt; beat everthing tgether. Then make a very thin pastry to put in yourdish, of the size of your dish, then line your dish with it; coats the inside of the dish with portk fat, then put in your pastry, put your dish on the coals and again coat the inside if the pastry with pork fat; when it has melted, bput your filling in your pastry and cover it with the other dish and put the fire on top as well as underneath and let your pie dry out a litt;e uncover the top of the dish and put five egg yolks and fine spice powder carefully ove your pie; then replace the dish as it was before and let it gradually cook in low coal fire; check often to see that it is not over-cooking. Put sugar on top when serving.
Per table (10 to a table






No. Quantity Qantity Item Per 50
Per 100






parsley *








mint *








chard *





500
grams spinach * kilos 2.5 kilos





marjoram *








basil *








thyme *
1 litre


3
whole eggs 15 egs 30 eggs


0.5
tsp ginger (galingale)






0.25
tsp cinnamon 1.25
2.5



0.24
tsp long pepper* 1.25
2.5






*pepper and cardamon

















1
cup grated tasty cheese 5 cups 10 cups


4
yolks only eggs 20 yolks 40 yolks


0.25
tsp cinnamon 1.25 tsp 2.5 tsp


0.25
tsp nutmeg 1.25 tsp 2.5 tsp


0.25
tsp ginger (galingale) 1.25 tsp 2.5 tsp


Method









Coat the pie pan with non stickspray; line with pastry. Melt dab of butter in the pastry; put in oven until it melts and the crust begins to harden a bit. In the interim, chop the parsley, mint, (cook the spinach and squeeze out the juice from it); marjoram, basil and thyme. Put it in a mortar and pound it a bit. Pour warm water on it; squeeze dry. Reserve the liquid - there should be approximately 1 litre of green juice. As for balance of flavour, add more basil/thyme, then parsley, the spinach then just a hint of mint. Mix the liquid, whole eggs and cheese, and add the spices. Put it in the pastry and bake at about 200 degrees C for approximately 15 minutes. Add the whole, uncooked egg yolks to the top of the pie. The pie should be cooked enough so that they SLIGHTLY sink into the pie - they shouldn't sit 'proud', but should gently sink a bit. Add a gentle sprinkle of fine spice powder (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg). Put the pie back into the overn for about another 30 minutes until well cooked. Sprinkle with sugar just before serving. The whole egg yolks 'hard boil' and sink into the pie - looks great for presentation - our pie pans only fit 4 egg yolks on comfortably.